There was probably no one as excited as me when I learned that Cath was going to be designing! I was always such a fan of her as a scrapper that it was only natural that I would love her designs. Today we shine the spotlight on her as the fabulous designer she is.You can check our her products in the shoppe and even browse her gorgeous gallery.

Give us the Cliff Notes version of you.

I am French, born in England and live currently in Finland! I have moved quite often during my life and I think I have lived in 10 different countries on three continents! I have a wonderful husband and 3 fabulous children aged 12 to 19. My 2 oldest are currently studying in Canada
In France, I was a teacher in a primary school, now I am teaching French in an international school in Helsinki but only for a few hours per week.

How did you get into designing?

As many designers, I started first as a scrapbooker, became totally addicted and when Amy asked me if I would be interested to join her new store ( I was in her CT) as a designer, this was just the push I needed to start designing! So I owe a big thanks to Amy.

What program do you use to scrap/design?

Photoshop CS2

What is your favorite NSBR thing to do?

Reading and spending time with family and friends

What are the top 5 songs on your list right now?

Coldplay Nova Vida
Francis Cabrel Bonne Nouvelle
Crosby Still and Nash, Helplessly hoping
Jack Johnson Never know
John Mayer Gravity

Are you musically inclined?

I wish I could play a musical instrument, I love to sing but my kids don’t like it!

What is a typical day like for you?

I am not sure I have a typical day, as it depends if I am teaching or not. My children are all grown up now so I have more freetime than before. I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer though.. and drink too much tea!

What inspires you?

I am inspired by everything I see: ads, the colors of a flower, color combinations , fashion, decoration magazines … everywhere you look there is inspiration. I am also inspired by the layouts made by my CT members and the ones I see in the galleries.

What are your top 5 designs and/or layouts you’ve ever done?

5 designs : I love all my kits but more especially the Pêle Mêle serie and Winter Retreat that is special to me.
5 Layouts :
Cousins
19 years old
You Color my World
A Boy’s World
Romance in Paris
My secret

How do you start a layout?

I rarely start with a photo, most of the time with an idea of a page I have already in mind or a kit I wish to use. Then I dig through my photos to find the perfect one, scan them since most of the photos I scrap are from the pre-digital age! From there my process is trial and error, I open all kinds of different papers and elements I think I might want to use on my layout and play around with them until it makes sense. I am a very slow scrapper who follow no rules, sometimes ‘accidents’ happen which makes me change my mind, like the way blending different papers or a photo may look. So along the way my layouts change in many directions, sometimes I can even change the photo I started with or decide to extract part of it just because I love the overall composition or color combination that developed but feel the photo I chose is not a perfect match. I always end up with the title or font work and last the shadow work.

What made you want to jump from extraordinary scrapper to extraordinary designer?

As I said before, it is Amy who gave me the push to become a designer and I just love being at A5D surrounded by so many extraordinary scrappers and designers. I also owe a lot to my fabulous CT members and my wonderful customers .

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child and a teenager, I always wanted to become a Physical Education (PE) teacher. I was doing a lot of track and field and my dream was just to pursue my passion as a teacher!

How long does it take you to design a kit?

Between a week and 2 weeks, I am a slow designer and a perfectionist and can go over and over details until they are just right

Who are your scrapping/designing heros?

I am a big fan of my CT team as scrappers and I have many designing heroes, too many to list here.

Do you have a specific style?

I wish for high quality, beautiful and elegant designs. I am above all a scrapper who loves to scrap pages with lots of realistic embellishments, so this is also what you’ll find in my kits!

Do you have a vision of what a kit will look like when you start it?

Most of the time yes, but the kit can evolve.

What would be your dream vacation?

Like Nikki, I would love one day to go to Australia.

And no After 5 interview would be complete without this question…What is your favorite after hours drink?

A glass of good white wine.